Pads for levers such as brake pedals often carry indicia with operating instructions. For example, the parking brake pedal of an automobile may bear the lettering "PUSH TO RELEASE". Such lettering is typically applied to the brake pedal pad by a decal or sticker or by other similar techniques and wears off quite quickly.
In accordance with the present invention, the lettering is made of a relatively hard material and is imbedded and permanently anchored in a softer material. The softer material provides the proper feel and friction so that the operator's foot will not slip off the pad. The lettering projects through and is visible at the surface of the softer material.
One problem with this construction is that to successfully imbed the hard material in a softer material, the two materials must be compatible so that they adhere or cling together without the need of adhesives or primers. In the particular embodiment about to be described, the hard component is made of glass filled polypropylene, and the softer component is made of a compatible thermoplastic elastomer based on polypropylene. When the softer component is molded about the hard component under heat and pressure, a welding or bonding together of the compatible materials occurs, producing a virtually inseparable union of the two components.
Preferably the softer component or body of the brake pedal has a front face, and the hard component has a base which is completely imbedded in the body with lettering projecting from the base through the front face of the body. The base is mechanically locked in the softer material, as well as being, in effect, welded or bonded thereto.
It is an object of this invention to provide a pad for a brake pedal or the like which has the foregoing features.
Another object is to provide a pedal pad which is of a relatively simple and inexpensive construction, is rugged and durable in use, and is easy to manufacture.
Other objects, features and advantages will become more apparent as the following description proceeds, especially when considered with the accompanying drawings.